Of Necessity and Wanting

by Sascha Akhtar

Of Necessity & Wanting is a collection of lyrical, atmospheric stories of varying lengths set in urban Pakistan.
"Deliciously written, always entertaining and filled with striking imagery, Akhtar's stories do the most magical thing - they show us who we are."

221 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2020

Reviews

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of Necessity and Wanting is comprised of two novellas, The White Cage and Janat ki Hawa: The Air in Paradise with a short story interlude, Paani: Water. Each story was carefully crafted, provocative and engaging, with the vibrant multifaceted and polyphonic city that is Karachi as the thread that binds them all.

The White Cage brings Rumina centre stage and through her and her family explores eurocentric beauty standards and colourism, class/social mobility, male fragility and the ways in which the patriarchy is both the carrot and the stick in Rumina’s life.

Paani: Water is essentially the story of water in Karachi as it is slowly revealed to Akram, a poor village boy who finds work in an elite Karachi home. It is a delicately and deliberately told story, which in just a few lines had me immersed in Akram’s world and experience. I felt genuinely bereft at the ending of this masterfully told short story.

And finally, there is Janat ki Hawa: The Air of Paradise, the story of Javed and Zainab. The former an office worker, the latter a beautician, both aspiring to make it in this city that promises the attainment of dreams just around the corner.

Though separate stories, I could imagine each of the main protagonists in the backdrop of the others’ story; Rumina a client being tended to at the beauty parlour Zainab works in, Akram driving by Javed’s office, Javed attempting to enter one of the elite parties dotted around Karachi, the reserve of socialites like Rumina.

Sascha’s writing is captivating, lyrical and and satiating, while her observations of a number of issues is astute and subtly but powerfully delivered. It is a really immersive and authentic experience. It was an absolute honour and pleasure to get to speak to Sascha about this debut fiction of hers and I cannot wait to see what else she offers in the future.

Sascha kindly joined me to discuss this book that can best be described as a love letter to Pakistan, and the spoiler free conversation can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CII47ViJ...

[safiyareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through these stories, Sascha examines different sections of Karachi life and we see how they intersect and brush past one another. She shows the colossal divide between the elite class of Karachi and the poorer classes. Very often only meeting when the latter is in servitude of some kind to the former.

One of the themes that stood out to me was the issue of colourism and the Eurocentric beauty ideals. Skin lightening facials and hair dying and straightening were common practice in the beauty salons, the elite women all wanting (or expected) to achieve the look. Related to this was also the intense pressure on women regarding marriage which was demonstrated poignantly in the first novella.
Sascha also highlighted the prominence placed on speaking English and it being a class indicator. The beauty and language ideals instigated and left behind by colonialism.

I really enjoyed the inclusion of Urdu words, particularly in the dialogue. It added to the immersive nature of the stories and often also indicated an important detail about the context. Whether a character was speaking English or Urdu could signify their status or position in society, who they were with or who they were trying to impress. As someone who doesn’t speak Urdu, I never felt excluded from those moments because of the translations provided but I really appreciated and admired the fact that it was completely, unapologetically centring South Asian, and particularly Pakistani, readers (something that Sascha spoke about in the live with Sofia).

The characters, the descriptions of the settings and the chosen subjects all brought Karachi vividly to my mind. Sascha touched on some important issues within the culture and society but also celebrated the resilience and strength of the people. A really enjoyable and valuable collection of stories.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. From reading the rather vague description, I thought this was going to be an anthology comprising ten(ish) short stories, but it’s actually more like three novellas centring on three different characters that all live in the same city.

This is the first book I’ve read that’s set in Pakistan and, as a result, I thought it was really interesting. The book is essentially an exploration of the Pakistani class system, focusing on the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ of society. The way this was explored through the different lives of the three protagonists was really clever and eye-opening.

The only thing that stopped me from rating it five stars was how the author chose to end the first two stories. I really liked the ending of the third story, but the endings of the first two felt a bit abrupt and slightly dissatisfying. Other than that, Of Necessity and Wanting was a really enjoyable read that I’d recommend to anyone who’s interested in books that explore class/societal structures.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fabulous, and eye-opening collection of short stories from Sascha Akhtar about life in urban Pakistan.

Of Necessity and Wanting gives us a fascinating, detailed, and often shocking glimpse into the lives of some very different characters who are seen as 'lower down' in the context of their own social circles, but who are nonetheless alike in their shared requirement for the things that they need to live, and the things they desire in order to fulfil their aspirations.

The first story is The White Cage. This is about Rumina, known as Guddi, a young girl from a middle class family whose mother has high ideas about climbing the social ladder and ensuring her daughter marries well. This was such an interesting look at the whole marriage market business in Pakistan and the booming beauty industry that fuels the obsession with being fair of complexion. This was my favourite and ends with the most wonderful 'punching the air' moment.

The second story, Paani: Water, is told from the point of view of a country boy made good, Akram, who finds himself running the household of a wealthy family in Karachi. This is the most shocking of the three, as it examines the water politics of Pakistan.

The third story, Janat Ki Huwa: The Air In Paradise, is the story of Javed and Zainab and is essentially a love story about two young people trying to make a living in Karachi, highlighting the reality of life at the lower end of the social scale. For me, this was the most heart-warming of the three tales, despite the difficulties they face in their lives.

This collection, when taken as a whole, highlights many aspects of life in Pakistan that may seem strange to the sensibilities of those of us brought up in a country like Britain, but Sascha Akhtar writes so beautifully that she carries us along with her lyrical prose and immerses us completely in another world. She expertly shows us what it means to be human, which makes these tales relatable to all. Alongside the more distressing and absurd parts, there are moments of joy, heartache, frustration and longing, and a desire to better ourselves, that we can all recognise, whatever our background. There are certain truths that link us all, and this is where the magic lies.

There is such much in these pages that will set you thinking long after you have finished reading this book, especially about women's rights in south Asia; the huge gulf between rich and poor; social mobility; and the complex relationships between people who are reliant on each other, even though their lives may seem worlds apart. For me, this makes it a book that has the power to educate as well as entertain, and is one which I hope will be read widely.

[Simon Collings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of Necessity and Wanting gives a vivid sense of present day life in the city of Karachi. It is in three parts. The first focuses on the Guddi, a teenager, whose mother aspires to be part of the rich set. She schemes to marry Guddi to the son of a wealthy family, a plan which Guddi goes along with in the belief that wealth and connections will enable her to escape Pakistan. Guddi has much to learn. The second part tells the story of Akram, brought to Karachi from a rural area to manage the household of his rich employers. The family's use of bottled water astonishes him and he learns about the health risks posed by untreated water, becoming an enthusiast for boiling water. But his new knowledge has consequences he doesn't foresee. In the third section we meet two middle class, though unconventional Karachi residents, Javed and Zainab, between whom a romance develops. This is my favourite part of the book. Javed and Zainab are wonderful characters. She's self-possessed and assertive, he is deferential, respectful and somewhat in awe of her. The ending is delightful (I won't spoil it by revealing details). Through the three stories we get a strong sense of the social inequalities which scar the city, and of the westernised lifestyles of the elite. Akhtar's frequent use of Urdu phrases brings the speech of the various characters very much alive.

[ayesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sascha Akhtar’s debut Of Necessity and Wanting, tells three loosely connected stories centred around navigating life in Pakistan’s metropolitan city, Karachi. All three stories present human need and desire with an unabashed plainness [Read full review: https://www.badformreview.com/read/k7g5]

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dry humour, social and political engagement, post/new colonialism inquiry, poetic dexterity ~ but above of a deep curiosity about the humanity that links us. Radical empathy.

Favourite chapter title ‘Trussed & Trustability’ 😆 Heartbroken by Akram’s story 💔